They didn’t just win a trophy. They shattered ceilings, rewrote narratives, and lit a spark in millions of living rooms across India.
In 2025, the Indian women’s cricket team achieved what generations before them dreamed of: lifting the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup. And in a powerful, long-overdue tribute, the Times of India has honored them as its Sportsperson of the Year—not an individual, but an entire sisterhood of warriors who proved that belief, grit, and unity can move mountains.
This isn’t just a sports story. It’s a cultural turning point.
Table of Contents
- The Road to World Cup Glory
- Why TOI Chose the Team Over Individuals
- Indian Women’s Cricket Team: Leaders and Heroes
- Harmanpreet Kaur: The Calm Commander
- Smriti Mandhana: The Visionary Opener
- Deepti Sharma: The Unsung Game-Changer
- Beyond the Boundary: Cultural Impact of the Win
- The Future of Women’s Cricket in India
- Conclusion
- Sources
The Road to World Cup Glory
The 2025 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup wasn’t just another tournament—it was India’s redemption arc. After heartbreaking near-misses in 2017 and 2022, this team entered with a quiet confidence. They played fearless cricket: aggressive batting, relentless fielding, and spin that strangled oppositions on turning tracks.
In the final—held in front of a roaring, emotionally charged crowd at Eden Gardens—India chased down a steep target with three wickets and two overs to spare. The moment the winning runs were struck, a nation exhaled. Tears flowed not just from players, but from grandmothers, schoolgirls, and office workers watching on grainy phone screens in villages with spotty internet.
Why TOI Chose the Team Over Individuals
For decades, India’s Sportsperson of the Year award went to singular icons: a wrestler, a shooter, a male cricketer. But in 2025, TOI made a bold, symbolic choice: to honor a collective.
As the editorial noted, “In 2025, Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, Deepti Sharma & their band of merry women learnt to believe. In doing so, they taught a thankful nation that when girls in India act on their vision, their wishes usually come true” .
This recognition acknowledges a truth long ignored: greatness in women’s sport isn’t just about individual brilliance—it’s built on shared sacrifice, mutual support, and systemic change.
Indian Women’s Cricket Team: Leaders and Heroes
While the entire squad contributed, three names emerged as the backbone of this historic campaign:
- Harmanpreet Kaur: Captain, strategist, and clutch performer.
- Smriti Mandhana: The elegant batter whose early aggression set the tone.
- Deepti Sharma: The all-rounder whose economy rate and finishing ability were game-defining.
Harmanpreet Kaur: The Calm Commander
Often criticized in the past for being “too passive,” Harmanpreet reinvented her captaincy in 2025. She backed young spinners, rotated batters intelligently, and remained unflappable under pressure. In the semifinal against Australia, she promoted herself to No. 4 and smashed an unbeaten 89 off 67 balls—proving leadership isn’t just tactical, it’s personal .
Smriti Mandhana: The Visionary Opener
Smriti didn’t just score runs—she redefined what an Indian opener could be. Her strike rate of 112 in the tournament was the highest among top-order batters from full-member nations . More importantly, she used her platform to advocate for equal pay and better infrastructure, embodying the athlete-activist ideal.
Deepti Sharma: The Unsung Game-Changer
While others grabbed headlines, Deepti worked in the shadows—and the death overs. Her 4/22 in the final dismantled the opposition’s middle order. Off the field, she mentored teenage players from tier-2 cities, many of whom debuted in this World Cup. Her impact is measured not just in wickets, but in pathways created .
Beyond the Boundary: Cultural Impact of the Win
The victory triggered a domino effect:
- Schools across Bihar and Tamil Nadu reported 300% spikes in girls signing up for cricket camps .
- Sponsors pledged ₹200+ crore in new investments for women’s domestic leagues.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the team as “nation builders,” and the BCCI fast-tracked plans for a full-fledged Women’s IPL season.
This win didn’t just change cricket—it changed perceptions. As one fan in Varanasi put it: “Now when my daughter says she wants to be a cricketer, I say, ‘Why not? Look at Harmanpreet!’”
The Future of Women’s Cricket in India
The momentum must be sustained. While progress is real, challenges remain: inconsistent domestic match fees, lack of quality turf wickets in rural academies, and media coverage that still trails men’s cricket by miles.
But the World Cup win has given the movement irreversible momentum. With the 2026 T20 World Cup on the horizon and the Women’s Premier League expanding to eight teams, the Indian women’s cricket team has ensured their legacy won’t be a one-off—it will be the foundation.
For deeper insights into the evolution of women’s cricket, explore [INTERNAL_LINK:womens-cricket-history-india].
Conclusion
Honoring the Indian women’s cricket team as TOI’s Sportsperson of the Year isn’t just about celebrating a World Cup. It’s a declaration: that women’s sport matters, that collective excellence is as heroic as individual stardom, and that dreams nurtured in dusty maidans can one day fill stadiums. They believed—and in doing so, made an entire nation believe too.
Sources
Times of India: TOI’s Indian Sportsperson of the Year – The women’s World Cup winning team
ICC: Women’s Cricket World Cup Official Site
BCCI: Women’s Premier League Updates
International Olympic Committee: Advancing Women in Sport